Getty Jimmy Butler guards his former teammate Joel Embiid when the Heat and Sixers met on January 15, 2022.
While the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t move on from the second round of the NBA playoffs, there’s no doubt that center Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the league, and depending on who you ask he should’ve won MVP this season.
The award ended up going to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Embiid finished in second place. The next chance for Embiid to get some recognition would be the All-NBA selection. There was a chance that both him and Jokic could be First Team selections, but that didn’t end up being the case either.
Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antentokoumpo and Jokic all took home First Team honors while Embiid was bumped to Second Team. NBA champ turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins says enough is enough.
Perkins Speaks Out
The disrespect to Joel Embiid has to STOP!!! Carry the hell on…
Perkins has become known for his hot takes during his time at ESPN, but there are still times where fans agree with what he’s saying. Sixers fans in particular will certainly appreciate his voice being used here.
“The disrespect to Joel Embiid has to STOP!!!” he tweeted. “Carry the hell on…”
It’s a simple statement, but it goes a long way to sending a message to the voters of these awards. It’s tough to imagine how the MVP runner-up ends up being a member of the All-NBA Second Team, but that’s how things played out.
Embiid was the first center to win the scoring title since Shaquille O’Neal, edging out LeBron James, who was ineligible for the title, and Antentokoumpo.
The Kia All-NBA First Team is made up entirely of players age 27 or younger for the first time since the 1954-55 season.
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Voting results ⬇️
Embiid was joined on the Second Team with a bunch of household names including Ja Morant, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan, so it’s not like it’s not still a prestigious award.
This past season could’ve ended up being Embiid’s best shot at the MVP title with a bunch of young names making a name for themselves as of late such as Devin Booker, Morant and Luka Doncic.
Sixers Fans Want a Title
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers guard James Harden needs to step up.
While seeing the star player bring home an NBA MVP award would be nice to see, that hardware doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t result in a championship. Jokic now has a pair of the trophies, but it hasn’t helped the Nuggets get any closer to winning a championship.
With James Harden on the team, the Sixers’ championship window has never been bigger, but they’ll need to get a more consistent performance out of him next year if they are going to make a run. He was largely up and down with the Sixers, and this even dates back to his time with the Nets.
No, this isn’t the Harden that we all saw in Houston anymore but he’s still an effective playmaker that has shown he can lift up others around him. Perhaps a trade to acquire more pieces is what’s needed to get over the hump. Injuries were an issue during this year’s playoffs, so the Sixers will also have to hope the injury bug stays away as having an unhealthy Joel Embiid is not a recipe for success.
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